Scholarships Become More Accessible

Beginning with the 2011-12 school year, the B.C. provincial government will distribute post-secondary scholarships according to a new eligibility criteria.

The scholarships will focus on student performance in grades 10-12, as well as on required provincial exams.In the past, scholarships of ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 were distributed after evaluating grade twelve exam scores.

These exams included optional provincial exams, which will no longer be available. Due to post-secondary institutes devaluating optional exam grades, roughly 80 percent of students opted out, resulting in roughly $2.5 million in unclaimed scholarship funding.

These changes to the scholarship criteria will allow more funds to reach students, and it's estimated roughly $5 million will be distributed for scholarships.